A Simple Vacation
by Panicked Karma
Summary: They thought they knew each other. They thought that their friendship could withstand anything. The New Directions group will learn what it means when they say "nothing will ever be the same." Mainly focused on Sam/Mercedes.
1. Prologue: What Happened To Us

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Glee. If I did, I would be Sam's soul mate but I guess Mercedes is just as good. ;P

**Revised!**

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><p><strong>Chapter One: <strong>_What Happened To Us_

Mercedes didn't know what to think – she could barely breathe. Her chocolate eyes stared at his mouth, watching it move as he spoke but was unable to actually _listen_. The only things that registered in her frazzled mind were: _"Let's break up… I don't know what I want right now… I just need some time away."_

A year of being together was going down the drain – a year of happiness and love.

She didn't understand. He had just told her he loved her yesterday!

"Sam…" Blinking quickly, she focused her vision on him and realized he was looking at her expectantly. "I don't understand."

He sighed; seemingly unsure of what he was doing. "Mercedes, I love you. I really do but I… I just need some time alone – figure out who I am – and I think I can do that best if we aren't together." His green eyes stared into her chocolates ones and a pang of guilt made him breathless. Not knowing what else to do, he lifted his hand to her shoulder, begging with his eyes that she'd understand. "I just – please understand."

Mercedes didn't say anything as she stared at the ground and flinched from his touch, noticing how he seemed to sadden the tiniest bit. "No. I don't understand."

Nothing else filtered through her brain after those words left her lips as she turned and walked away, desperately trying to hold in her tears as she walked to her car. Kids playing in the park, the chirps of birds – not even the sound of him shouting her name kept her from opening her car door and driving off. It wasn't until she had reached the safety of her room with the door locked that she let the tears flow.

She cried herself to sleep that night and for the first time in her life, Mercedes Jones knew what it was like to be truly heart broken. The tears came streaming down her face by the dozens even when she wished they would stop, the pounding in her head telling her that crying this much wasn't healthy. Even in her sleep she couldn't escape the heart ache, waking up every couple hours only to cry herself to sleep again.

He had broken up with her right after Graduation and forever ruined what should have been a wonderful memory. Why he chose a park – a place of happiness – to break up with her was beyond comprehension even a month after everything was said and done.

The first month went by in a blur. The only thing she attempted to do was work at a local department store and then still try and act happy around her friends when they forced her out of the house, which wasn't often.

Something Mercedes always prided herself in began changing. She loved her curves and when her mother mentioned that she seemed to have lost a couple pounds, Mercedes didn't even care. All she had done was keep constantly busy as she forced the memories away, either working or cleaning around the house, even walking around the mall with Kurt and Rachel as she had to buy new clothes for her slimming figure. They never questioned her about it anymore because they both knew that it would only bring back bad memories. The few times they tried only ended up with her becoming silent and leaving wherever they were.

Somehow – through it all – Sam and Mercedes had been able to keep their relationship a secret until the very end. How she was able to keep it a secret even to her two best friends was surprising and after the breakup she didn't dare tell them why she was depressed. Maybe she could one day, but not until she felt like herself again.

Sighing through her nose with a pout on her lips, Mercedes put her name tag on her dresser and began to get comfortable. Working seven hours a day began to take its toll on her and lately she only felt tired.

Pulling up her loose pants, she closed her eyes and held in a curse. A sound to her left had her opening her eyes and she watched as her phone lit up. As she walked to her bed she tried to think of who was texting her at eleven at night but when Kurt's name popped up she remembered that he had promised to tell her about some "reunion" news.

The New Directions were going their own way, each of them practically going to different schools besides what she considered the "End Game" couples such as Finn and Rachel, Kurt and Blaine, Santana and Britney (_took them long enough_, she thought), and Mike and Tina. Puck and Lauren were still together but had decided to go to separate schools. They wouldn't see each other for who knows how long so it had been Kurt and Finn's idea to have a get together before they all shipped off.

After unlocking the screen to her phone, she quickly went to her new message and gasped.

"_You better have an awesome bathing suit, Diva, because we New Direction graduates are going to Myrtle Beach for a couple weeks. Details about when and where will be coming soon!"_

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><p>Don't fret! It will get better, trust me! I know making Mercedes lose weight is kind of going against her normal persona but I believe that in this situation, she could've either turned to food (which would've only made her feel worse) or do what I had her do, which is the healthy thing to do during a break up and I want Mercedes to be the best she can be. She'll be back to normal in no time :)<p>

Why Myrtle Beach? Well it's a major vacation spot on the east coast and I've met so many people that come to Myrtle Beach on vacation right after they graduate so I figured why would McKinley High graduates be any different?

Tell me what you think! Reviews are appreciated!

**Panicked Karma**


	2. Chapter One: Fighter

**Chapter One: **_Fighter_

_I can't believe I agreed to this._

Looking up at the two story beach house, Mercedes wished she could go back to Lima.

Once Kurt had texted the rest of the details she had wanted to say no. Spending two weeks in Myrtle Beach in the same house with her ex and everyone else did not seem like a good idea. She loved everybody but she knew something was bound to happen.

Looking ahead of her, she saw Finn and Rachel run up to the house excitedly as Blaine and Kurt began to call after her.

They had been the first people to get there, finding out the others were almost there by text. From what Finn said, the only down side would be that his Mom's friend Kathy would "chaperone" them. How the woman came to own a five bedroom, three bath beach house in this economy seemed impossible but apparently the housing market in Myrtle Beach wasn't as bad as it was in other places, at least that's what Kathy the Real Estate Agent said.

"Come on in guys!" The older blonde said from the balcony as she motioned to Mercedes, Kurt, and Blaine.

Once it was decided they were coming to the beach, Kurt insisted that Blaine tag along, him being an honorary member of the Glee club.

Kurt waved and started walking towards the house, Blaine following him. Mercedes slowly made her way inside, her suitcase in one hand and a bag of essentials in the other. Not having a good feeling about this as she entered the house, she held her tongue, not really saying anything in fear of ruining the others' happiness. _Ugh, I don't want to be here._

Once she was inside, Kathy told them that she would wait to let them pick their rooms once everyone was there. After half an hour, everyone was settled in the living room; Mercedes thankful for Sam's seemingly unconscious decision to sit where she couldn't see him.

"Okay, my name is Kathy Taylor but you can call me Ms. K," The blonde woman said as she stood in front of them with her hands on her hips. "Unlike your parents I will not baby you because I actually realize you are eighteen and are adults and can take care of yourselves-" a whoop from Puck had her smirking. "But that doesn't mean there aren't rules." A groan was their reply.

"I have four rooms and there are fourteen of you so that means in two rooms there will need to be four boys and four girls while in the others there will need to be three but you shall be sharing a room with someone of your gender. No Kurt, you cannot room with some of the girls. Now I do not want you drinking alcohol in this house or even coming here drunk or hung over. I have condoms in the main closet and I say this because I know of your legendary hormones and I don't want anyone getting pregnant, alright? Plus I just don't want to see it so if the hormones become too much, I suggest you enter a _bedroom_ and lock the door. That's all."

As soon as she was done she walked away and everyone began to figure out who was going to room together. Rachel, Tina, and Mercedes in one room while Quinn, Brittany, Santana, and Lauren resided in the other. The boys rooms weren't very different with Finn, Mike, Puck, and Sam in one room and Kurt, Blaine, and Artie in the other room – Artie willingly sharing a room with the couple as long as they slept on opposite sides of the room.

At this point, Mercedes didn't know if she should be happy or just show everyone how she actually felt. She had become an excellent actress when it came to hiding her true feelings and to everyone that didn't know there was something wrong, Kurt and Rachel being the only two, they thought she was as happy as she was before she and Sam had dated. Sighing, Mercedes began unpacking her stuff and gave a shy smile to Rachel who mentioned how excited she was for the beach.

"You guys almost ready for the beach 'cause Puck's getting antsy and wants to leave you guys behind."

Frozen in her place, Mercedes heard Tina say that they were almost ready as Sam's voice made her inwardly flinch. _Please kill me now…_.

Taking in a deep breath, Mercedes closed her eyes and began to do what she did whenever memories of them came rushing to her. _No. I won't let him rule my life. I'm Mercedes Jones, a diva and a fighter and I won't let him rule me._ Feeling brave for the first time in a while, the diva got herself as sexy as she could, her Sonatina one-piece swimsuit making her still curvaceous body look fabulous. She always did look amazing in the different shades of purple and the berry color of the suit really setting off the color of her skin. A cute beach hat and a shimmering white beach wrap tied around her hips finished off the outfit and soon, Mercedes was ready to hit the beach, feeling confident.

"Mercedes you look gorgeous," Blaine said as he followed in step beside her and Kurt.

"Thank you." A real smile lit up her face as she continued talking to Blaine, failing to notice the look Sam was giving her.

Once a place was decided all the girls laid out, ready to start sun bathing while the boys took off in a sprint towards the ocean, Puck using a wake board right on the edge of the water. From underneath her sun glasses Mercedes watched Sam and Mike play what looked like ultimate Frisbee and the diva bit her lip. If she continued this, it could become a really bad habit and Mercedes did not want to take a step back when she had just taken two steps forward.

"Hey Mercedes?" Whipping her head to her left, she saw Rachel lean on her elbows while the brunette watched her. "You want to play Volleyball with me, Santana, and Brittany? We just got invited to by those guys over there."

Looking in the direction of Rachel's pointed finger, Mercedes felt her cheeks get hot. Those boys were _fine_ and if she wanted a distraction from Sam's half naked body that was glistening with sweat then these boys would be the perfect distraction. "Sure."

Channeling her inner vixen, Mercedes sauntered on over to wear the boys were playing volleyball once she set down her hat on her towel. If she played this the right way, and truth be told she didn't really know what she was doing, she might be able to get a number or two considering how two guys out of the four were looking at her. Being friends with Santana had its advantages sometimes and once it was confirmed that she was dating Brittany, Santana had let Mercedes in on some of her secrets when it came to boys.

"Hey," a short haired blond said as his eyes rolled over Mercedes. "Ya'll willing to join us in a game of volleyball? We'll go easy on you."

Santana scoffed at him and crossed her arms across her chest. "I'd take that back if I were you because _we're not _going to go easy on_ you._" Brittany smiled and Rachel just giggled.

Mercedes on the other hand stared into the blond's brown eyes, clearly able to tell that he was interested. "My name's Mercedes," she said with a shy smile as she looked at the other guy who had been watching her. "This is Rachel, Santana, and Brittany." They all replied with a: "Nice to meet ya'll," before they started the game.

Boys against girls was something the girls were used to with how Mr. Shue liked to have a competition every year, and twice the girls had won. Sure this wasn't a singing contest but that didn't stop them from wanting to kick the boy's butts.

From what she could tell, two of the guys were interested in her and the other two had an interest in Santana and Brittany, all four able to tell that Rachel was taken since she was wearing a necklace with Finn's name on it. After playing for ten minutes, Finn and the rest of the guys decided to watch them and cheer them on. They were winning three against two and after Mercedes spiked the ball and earned the girls another point, Eric – the blond – had made his way under the net to high five her. They shared a look before his eyes floated elsewhere and something in him changed. She noticed for the rest of the game that Eric and Sean flirted with her less and it wasn't until the game was over when the girls plus Kurt and Blaine decided to get ice cream that she figured out why.

"Wait, so Sam was staring them down?"

Kurt nodded his head as he took a sip of his tea. "It was like he was pulling a jealous boyfriend move or something; he had his arms crossed and everything."

"I think he likes you, Cedes!" Rachel said excitedly as she stopped eating her ice cream long enough to pat Mercedes on the back. Blaine, Lauren, Santana, and Tina all agreed while Brittany became interested in watching a seagull eating a pizza on the boardwalk.

_I bet they were imagining things_, she thought as she furrowed her brow. Focusing her attention on her ice cream, Mercedes shrugged and changed the subject, asking Rachel what else Finn might've planned.

Apparently on Friday it was decided they were going to a paint party at some place called the Afterdeck, wherever that was. _Hmm, so I have two days until I get another chance at "boy shopping". I can't wait! _Another part of her whispered that she'd also get another chance at making Sam jealous but she didn't want to think that way. It would only make her wish for things that weren't going to happen again. She was a fighter and a fighter never dared to let someone or something else win.

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><p><strong>AN:<strong>

Mercedes is getting checked out by hot guys! Yay! And Sam giving them dirty looks? Yep! And it only gets better :P

I live in Myrtle Beach so literally everything that has to do with Myrtle Beach in here is a real place or something we do. Since I live here, I don't really know what places tourists like to go to since I've been practically everywhere a thousand times so if you've been to the beach, tell me of a place you think they should go and I shall enter it!

If you want to see what Mercedes' bathing suit looks like it's the Miraclesuit Sonatina One-Piece Swimsuit in the Berry color.

_Fighter_ by Christina Aguilera

Reviews are appreciated ~

**Panicked Karma**


	3. Chapter Two: The Story of Us

**Chapter Two: **_The Story of Us_

"_Nga yawne lu oer."_

_Giggling, the love sick teen leaned against her boyfriend of six months and continued to let him whisper Na'vi in her ear as he kissed her jaw tenderly. "I still can't believe I let you teach me Na'vi."_

"_It's the language of love and I want you to be able to understand me when I say nga lor." Kissing her lips, he rested his forehead against her own as he stared into her eyes. _

_No matter how many times she looked into his eyes, Mercedes would always become hypnotized. Her heart would slowly beat faster as her cheeks flushed and she would feel like she could conquer the world. His arm around her shoulders made her feel safe and just the feeling of his body close made her want to just kiss those luscious lips of his until she felt dizzy. _

_Smiling gently, Mercedes continued to hold his gaze as she whispered, "Nga si oe ha lrr."_

_The look of pure happiness that took over his face made her heart flutter and the sound of him repeating the phrase back to her made her close her eyes in bliss._

"_Nga si oe ha lrr."_

"Nga… si oe…. ha… lrr…"

"Mercedes!"

Jolting herself awake, the diva wiped at her mouth as she focused her vision on Santana who was tapping her foot with her hands on her hips. "W-What do you want, Santana?"

"Was that Na'vi you were just speaking or were you just spouting non sense?"

_Crap. _"I don't know what you're talking about Santana. I was _trying_ to sleep." Turning towards her pillow again, Mercedes tried to go back to sleep until she felt someone jump on the bed, lifting the diva in the air an inch or two.

"Come on, Mercedes! We are going to a place Kathy calls 'Broadway at the Beach'. We're going to go shopping."

The moment Tina said the word 'shopping' Mercedes was up and getting ready; a pair of tattered capris and a simple, light yellow, v-neck tee shirt was quickly put on.

Ever since she had started working, she had begun to wear simpler outfits, mostly because she had been out of it whenever she wasn't at work. She was too tired to put together the outfits she used to do but that didn't mean her obsession with shopping stopped.

Once everyone was ready, the group set off in different cars towards Broadway at the beach. Mercedes was nervous for some odd reason and watched the cars pass by. Trying to shake it off, Mercedes asked, "So what's this 'Wonder Works' place Ms. K was talking about?"

Finn shrugged, "I don't know. She said it was some kind of attraction and that it's an upside down building. She said we should check it out."

"Upside down building? How'd they do that?"

Looking at Rachel, Finn shrugged again and everyone began talking about different things, the diva even getting into the conversation every now and then. It wasn't till they got to Broadway at the Beach that they saw what Ms. K meant by an upside down building. Wonder Works literally looked like it had gotten into a tornado and been dumped on its head on top of another building.

Staring at the attraction after they got out of the car, Finn, Rachel, Mercedes, Kurt, and Blaine failed to notice the rest of the group huddle around them, all gawking.

"We have to go in that thing," Mike said and the group merely nodded.

Mercedes was fairly interested in figuring out what was inside but something didn't feel right. As they were paying for their tickets, she saw Rachel and Kurt give her a look, one that made Mercedes want to vomit. They were up to something and if it was what she thought it was, there would be hell to pay.

Mayhem began as everybody went off in different directions when they were allowed inside. Mike and Tina were on what looked like bikes but it did a full three-sixty, keeping them upside down for a couple seconds. Puck was trying out the Wonder Park where he got to pitch against a screen where famous people like Barry Bonds, or Sammie Sosa would try to hit the ball. The others had gone upstairs, excited about some kind of "rollercoaster" simulator.

"Come on, Mercedes!"

Sighing, she reluctantly followed Rachel upstairs, her friend seemingly too happy. _I don't know what she's up to but I do __**not**__ like it._ Looking to her right, she saw Kurt talking to Sam as they followed her. _That's not good. _

Reaching the rollercoaster simulator, Mercedes watched Rachel make a rollercoaster on the screen in front of them, not noticing anything else.

When Mercedes was ten, her brother had forced her onto the first rollercoaster she was the right height for and it had been like a nightmare come true. Ever since then, just the thought of roller coasters brought a knot in her stomach and this "simulator" was no different. She was not looking forward to it and she only hoped she could go on it with Kurt or Rachel. She would've chose Tina but she was somewhere with Mike and she did not want to be a third wheel.

"Where are Finn and Blaine?" Her friends shrugged and Mercedes let it go, for now. It wasn't until the man that worked there asked for the next people that Mercedes knew what their plan was. Before she could say no, Rachel and Kurt were pushing her and Sam towards the guy, making them have to go on it together.

_Fuck! This is going to be awkward._

Acting as if nothing had happened between them, the diva slowly got into the simulator and buckled herself in, trying to forget that she was going to be in the car like thing with him. _I'm going to kill them. Slowly, and painfully, only to bring them back and kill them again!_

It was quiet after the worker closed the hatch and Mercedes looked anywhere but in Sam's direction. It wasn't until his hand entered her vision that she dared to look at him. Sending a glare his way, she tried to ignore the feeling in her chest.

"You're scared of rollercoasters. I just thought being able to hold onto something other than the bars might make you feel better."

Mercedes kept looking at his hand and then back to his face, trying to see if he was being serious or not. _Hell to the no am I taking that bait. _"No thank you, Samuel. I shall be perfectly fine like this."

She heard him chuckle slightly; "You sure? Because your knuckles are turning white and last time I saw that was when your family let me go with you to Carowinds."

Memories of the trip flashed through her mind. The entire trip he had been a perfect boyfriend and had helped her through every ride her brother forced them to go on. Breaking herself out of her reverie, Mercedes swallowed the lump in her throat and took in deep breaths, feeling unstable.

Shaking her head, she looked straight forward and saw the machine start. The first turn in the simulator was okay and the feeling of anxiety was tolerable. It wasn't until it decided to go upside down that she grabbed his still outstretched hand and held in her scream.

When the ride was over, she thought that she had blacked out because Sam had to clap his hands in front of her face, waking her up from her daze. "W-Where… where are we?"

"Still inside the simulator," Sam answered, a smile on his face. "That was almost worse than last time."

"Shut up."

The blond laughed some more and greeted a smiling Kurt and Rachel with a wave.

Exiting the stupid contraption had to be Mercedes favorite part, that was until Kurt and Rachel started bombarding her with questions once Sam was out of hearing range.

"So… did you guys talk?"

"Does he like you?"

A glare from the diva firmly shut them up, Mercedes clearly miffed. "That was not funny you guys." Before either of them could say anything, she was walking towards the elevator, wanting to go back down to the first floor.

She felt like slapping herself in the face, she was so upset. They just had to get into her business! She had been doing fine, yesterday even flirting with some guys and gaining confidence – that was all gone. The moment she had grabbed Sam's hand it had disappeared and in its place was a thoroughly distressed Mercedes Jones.

Somehow making her way to the eating area on the first floor, she went outside onto the balcony and took a seat near the man-made river that ran through Broadway at the Beach. The breeze felt nice against her heated skin.

_I feel like an idiot._

Mercedes didn't know how long she sat out there; ten minutes, half an hour, she didn't know. She was so caught up in herself that she didn't even notice someone was watching her. The sound of a door opening and footsteps had her pouting and before she could question who it was, a blond haired teen could be seen in the corner of her sight and sat beside her. He looked out towards the river as well and there was complete silence.

Minutes passed by and they continued to say nothing. She wanted to know what was going through his head, millions of scenerios going through her own. It wasn't until what felt like ten minutes passed by that she spoke, "Why are you out here?" Her voice shaky and unsure.

"Kurt and Rachel thought I should come out here and see if you're okay. They think I like you and that I should ask you out."

Chuckling sadly, the diva looked down at her hands and felt tears rim her eyes. "Well that's obviously not going to happen, so why don't you just go back inside and let me sit here by myself."

Sam turned towards her, looking at her this time as he said, "Just because we aren't together anymore doesn't mean I don't care about you. I'm still your friend… or at least I think I am."

She fought with herself for a few seconds before deciding to look him in the eyes. The gaze he had set on her was something she hadn't anticipated and she looked away. "Yeah… we're still friends." A tear trailed down her cheek and she didn't know what to do. When she looked back to where he had been sitting, he was gone.

Sighing, she slowly got up and went back inside, running into Tina.

"Hey, you okay?"

Immediately Mercedes the actress took over, a bright smile on her face as she said happily, "Yeah! Can we go shopping now?"

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><p><strong>AN:<strong>

Poor Mercedes! I know the feeling. Sad day. Any who, here you go:

_The Story of Us_ – Taylor Swift

Na'vi translations:

_Nga yawne lu oer_ – I love you.

_Nga lor_ – You are beautiful.

_Nga si oe ha lrr_ – You make me so happy.

Reviews are appreciated!

**Panicked Karma**


	4. Chapter Three: She's So Gone

**AN:** Sorry it took so long for me to update! I got super busy with work and family came over. But I do have one thing to say about this chapter: We finally get to see some of Sam's views about things!

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><p><strong>Chapter Three: <strong>_She's So Gone_

For being the avid shopper that she was, Mercedes Jones decided that Myrtle Beach was officially one of her favorite places to shop. The evidence was the five shopping bags that were filled to the max, all having come from different places at Broadway at the Beach.

After all the shopping the girls had done and the complaining from the boys, the group decided to stop and eat at Yamato's. From what they had been told, it was a very popular place on the Grand Strand where they cooked Japanese food in front of you. To say the least, Puck was excited when he was told that they used a lot of fire.

"Table for fourteen, please."

As Rachel said this, Mercedes could tell the waitress wanted to hurt the poor girl. Keeping in a snicker, the diva soon stood with her mouth open as the waitress said, "That'll be at least an hour."

"What?"

Ignoring Santana's outburst, Puck decided to put in his two cents. "Guys, we have to eat here."

"You only want to come for the fire show, Noah!"

It took a lot of arguing but it was decided that the guys would stay behind and the girls would go back to the beach house so they could put down their bags.

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><p>Watching the girls leave, Sam Evans held his tongue and tried to deny that he watched only Mercedes. <em>She still looks beautiful… <em>Breaking his stare, he rubbed the spot where Puck had elbowed him and gave the teen a glare. Puck just smirked as the boys went to sit down on the nearby chairs.

"Have eyes for sexy mama, do you?" Whispered Puck, obviously trying to make it so only Sam could hear.

Sam didn't know what to say as he stared at the ground. Biting the inside of his cheek, he sighed through his nose before replying, "I wasn't staring."

"Sure," his friend chuckled. "So Berry told me she tried to get you and Cedes alone in that rollercoaster simulator. Did anything happen?"

"Nah. I don't like her like that dude."

"You can keep denying it but we both know that when someone stares at girls the way you stare at Mercedes, there is obviously some kind of feelings there."

"That's what I think too," Kurt interjected, his legs crossed. "I think she has feelings for you too."

_Does she still?_ The blond shook his head. A thought ran through his mind and before he could stop himself he asked, "What happened to her? It's almost like she's a different person…"

Shrugging, Kurt glanced at Sam before mumbling, "She won't even tell me. Something obviously happened and from what I can tell it shook her really bad. I noticed the change in her after graduation. She began to work all the time and whenever she wasn't working, she stayed at her house. The only people that could get her out for a couple hours were Rachel, her brother, and I. Even then it was like she wasn't even there. Although from what her brother says, she apparently danced her frustration out."

As soon as the words _graduation_ reached his ears, Sam was frozen. He heard the rest of what Kurt said but none of it really registered. _He_ was the reason why she seemed broken? _He_ was the reason why she changed and lost weight. _He_ was the reason why she barely had any fight left in her? The sudden feeling of bile creeping up his esophagus had him swallowing hard and his green eyes couldn't tear away from the floor.

Kurt and Puck seemed to notice his changed demeanor and watched Finn, Mike, and Artie joking around, leaving the blond with his thoughts.

He was so into his own mind that he failed to notice the girls return until the sight of Mercedes made him gasp.

All the girls had apparently changed into some of the clothes they bought and Mercedes was no different. Instead of the light yellow shirt and capris, she was wearing a white tunic with metallic graphics on the front, the sleeves short, and a pair of denim shorts that were short enough you could see the pockets. A pair of black mid-calf boots adorned her feet and Sam had to close his mouth before drool started to go down his chin. She was _sexy_ and he felt an all too familiar stirring in his gut. Looking away, Sam knew that if he had looked at her any longer, his jeans would've become too tight.

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><p>After the girls with boyfriends had decided to dress up, the diva had decided to do the same. She didn't have a boyfriend but that didn't mean she wouldn't appreciate the looks she'd most likely get from hot guys. <em>What girl wouldn't want a hot guy staring at her?<em>

Stepping inside of the restaurant brought a nervous flutter to her stomach and she mentally checked herself, hoping she looked good enough to kill. _Crinkled hair? Check? Awesome make up? Check. An outfit that would make Kurt clap in approval? Check-ity check._

From what she could tell, the boys were very appreciative of the change in outfits and it had her smiling. Her eyes wandered and when they landed on Sam, she felt a pang of confidence go through her. He obviously liked the outfit and it only made her smile grow. _That's right Sam. See what you're missing. Damn, those dance classes really came in handy. I look fine._

The group was seated after another five minutes, seven people at one table and seven at another. Picking a spot next to Kurt and Tina, she saw Sam take a seat next to Mike, in perfect view of her. Unconsciously or not, it still made her heart flutter.

Once everyone was settled and had ordered, the chefs quickly went to their tables and went to work. The fire volcano got an enthusiastic shout from Puck and Lauren while Finn tried to not burn off his eyebrows. It wasn't until they were eating that the diva got a surprise.

"Miss Mercedes Jones?"

Startled, Mercedes turned around before a squeal could be contained. "Wyatt Daniels?" She was up and out of her seat in seconds, hugging the curly haired brunet. Leaning back from the hug, she gave him a once over and damn if he didn't look good. Tight black jeans, a pair of red Keds, a white shirt that clung to his chest… _this boy was hella fine._

"What are you doing here?" The diva said excitedly.

Wyatt smirked, "I'm on vacation. What about you, Mercy?"

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><p>The moment Sam saw the guy coming up behind Mercedes, he didn't like him. There was something about him that made Sam nervous and it only got worse when they hugged. Jealousy he had not felt in months crawled up his spine and he held in a growl. <em>Who is this kid?<em>

"What are you doing here?" He heard Mercedes say a little too happily for his taste. _She never told me about him before._

The smirk that was on the guys lips had him furrowing his brow and the blond gripped his fork as the guy said, "I'm on vacation. What about you, Mercy?" _Mercy? That's __**my**__ nickname for her!_

"Same," Sam heard her say with a smile. "I'm here with my friends from Glee. Remember I told you at our last rehearsal I was going to go on vaca with them?"

"Hey Mercedes, who's this dude?" Finn said from the table beside them. He didn't like the look of happiness Rachel, Kurt, and Tina were emitting.

Sam saw Mercedes' face flush as she turned to the group, "Oh sorry, guys. His name's Wyatt Daniels. He's a friend from dance class. I met him the first day my brother made me go."

"Helped her with the routine, I did." Wyatt chuckled.

Playfully slapping his chest, the diva flushed more, a shy smile on her face.

Whatever was between them, Sam didn't like. Deciding to focus more on his food, he pushed around a piece a shrimp as he tried to not listen in on their conversation but failed terrible. From what he could tell they were friends – _flirting _even. When Wyatt said she looked "absolutely gorgeous today", he stabbed the shrimp a little too hard before popping it in his mouth. With a scowl on his face, he got up from his chair and went to the rest room.

_I broke up with her, remember? Idiot!_

* * *

><p>The warm feeling she got in her chest from Wyatt's complement disappeared when she saw Sam get up and go to the bathroom.<p>

Noticing this, Wyatt asked, "So you guys doing anything special?"

"We're going to The Afterdeck tomorrow night," Kurt piped up, Blaine laughing at him. "You should come, Wyatt!"

The brunet smiled and agreed before giving Mercedes a kiss on the cheek and a wink before going back to his table.

As soon as she was seated, her face still flushed and a smile on her lips, she was bombarded with questions.

"Girl, he's hot! Why don't you go after him?"

"Seriously! He's into you!"

"Why did I not hear about him?"

"I really wish I had taken you up on your offer on those dance classes."

Laughing at Quinn's response, she winked at the girl from the other table before returning to her fried rice.

The rest of the afternoon went off without a hitch, the boys deciding to take another trip to the beach while the girls walked the nearby boardwalk. When Mercedes went to sleep that night, the last thing she thought about was how she couldn't wait to go to the paint party.

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><p><strong>AN:<strong>

Reviews are appreciated! The next chapter should be up soon ~

Here's a link to Mercedes' dress: amiclubwear . com / clothing-dress-a2-2957white . html

Her shoes: amiclubwear . com / shoes-boots-dh-cuetieblack . html

_She's So Gone _by Lemonade Mouth

**Panicked Karma**


	5. Chapter Four: You Had Me At Hello

**Chapter Four: **_You Had Me at Hello_

Mercedes had been looking forward to the Afterdeck all day. For the most part, the group had relaxed for the day, saving the excitement for the night. Brittany and Santana had decided to stay behind, wanting to go on their own romantic date while Quinn and Artie relaxed by the pool. Mike and Tina had also decided to go on a date, wanting to eat at some Brazilian place called Rioz.

Barely able to contain her excitement as she hopped out of the car they had come in, Mercedes took Kurt's arm as they walked towards the building.

"This place is attached to a strip club?" The diva laughed as she heard Rachel whisper her shock to Puck. From outside, the place did not look flattering but from what they heard it was one of the best clubs around.

After waiting in line and paying to get in, their white clothes glowed in the black light and all of them became excited.

Finn and Rachel being there was kind of a surprise to her and Mercedes didn't really understand why they were there. _Maybe they want to get their freak on._ Lauren and Puck weren't hard to figure out and Kurt being alone wasn't either since Blaine had gotten sun burnt the day before and didn't want to push his luck. She didn't even want to think about Sam. _Hell, he's here for the same reason I am! Mercedes Jones, before you leave tonight you are to dance with at least three guys!_

Half an hour into dancing, Mercedes hadn't danced with anyone and she was starting to feel defeated. Looking around, Mercedes was thankful for Kurt. Even though Blaine had decided to forgo the trip to the Afterdeck Kurt still danced with Mercedes, making her feel less alone. She was actually having a good time and seeing Sam dance with a couple girls made her jealous but it didn't ruin her night. She was a single girl in a club and she was going to enjoy her time! Fixing her off the shoulder white t-shirt, she began to wonder when the paint part of the party would start, only to be startled when a voice behind her said, "Want to dance?" Looking behind her, Mercedes felt her face get hot in a blush as she saw who was behind her.

There was Wyatt in all his sexy glory. His dark brown hair was spiked in a bed head style, a tight, lime green shirt showed off his chest while a pair of khaki's hung low on his waist, bright white shoes that glowed under the black light finishing the outfit. This man danced like a pro and his heart was one of the sweetest she had ever had the pleasure of meeting. Turning him down would've been a crime in itself.

Even though she was slightly surprised, she nodded her head and smiled, making him smile in return as they started dancing. After about ten minutes, Mercedes could honestly say that dancing with Wyatt was taking away all the stress she had been feeling. _He's so amazing._ Smiling, she moved her hips and blushed when she felt Wyatt's hands firmly grabbing her hips as his mouth got close to her ear. If he had tried to say something, she couldn't hear him, the music was so loud she could feel the beating of the bass in her chest.

All of a sudden, Wyatt's touch went missing and after looking around, Mercedes felt a lump in her throat. Rachel, Finn, and Kurt seemed to notice this also and watched as Sam moved Wyatt away from her while saying above the music "Stay away from her!" The girl he had been dancing with angry that the attention was being taken away from her.

_What the hell? _"Sam!"

He ignored her and stared Wyatt down who quickly gave up after having lost the impromptu staring contest. Feeling rather proud of himself, the blond turned his head to give Mercedes a smirk before he noticed her facial expression. Before he could say anything Mercedes was on her way out with Kurt, Finn, Rachel, Puck, and Lauren hot on her heels.

Her friends called after her while she walked to the car they had all come in and before she knew it, Kurt had grabbed her shoulder, worried. "You okay?"

"Can we just go back to the house now?" The look she gave her friends said everything and once Sam caught up with them, they got into the car and made their way back to the beach house, Mercedes sitting as far away from Sam as she could.

The car ride was quiet and awkward, no one knowing what to say about what happened. None of them knew of the history between Sam and Mercedes but they all knew something happened. Once they were halfway there, Sam spoke. "You shouldn't have let him touch you," he whispered loud enough for Mercedes to hear. When she didn't answer he continued, "You know all he wanted to do was see if you wanted to go to his place, right?"

That set the diva off. Her attitude had been playing it cool for the past couple of months but now it was back with a force. Turning around to give Sam a glare she yelled, "And that would've upset you? Who are you to say anything?"

"I'm your friend!"

"So? Even as a friend you have no say! Hell, even as an _ex_ you have no say!" She spat venomously.

At the front of the car Finn whispered to Rachel, "They dated?"

Turning back around Mercedes let it all out, not able to hold it in any longer. "Yes, we dated for a year and hid it from you guys because we didn't want drama to start and also because we wanted to keep it to ourselves among other insecurities but on the day we _graduated_ Sam decided to ask to meet me at a park only so he could break up with me and _now he's saying I can't dance with someone else!_"

"He only _danced_ with you so he could see if you were willing to _fuck_ him and you obviously seemed willing with how you danced with him!" Sam shouted from the back of the car, his face red with rage.

"What the hell does it matter to you, Sam? We aren't together anymore, haven't been since the beginning of June and it's the middle of freaking July. You were trying to 'find yourself' and 'found yourself' dancing with at least four different girls tonight but did you see me pulling a crazy ex move? Hell to the no; and you don't even fucking know him!"

"_And you do?_ Plus, I am not some crazy ex!"

"No, you are worse." Turning around so she could face him, she let him see the tears in her eyes as she spat out, "You broke my heart and then, just as I'm finally myself again and am having a good time, with someone I know by the way, you decide to show that apparently you still care and are jealous? Don't you understand that I don't know what to think anymore?"

Sam sat in silence for a few seconds as he watched Mercedes let some tears fall, not really knowing what to say. "W-What do you mean?"

"Guys we're here," Lauren said from her space between the two. As soon as those words left Lauren's lips, Mercedes was out of the car and on her way inside.

An hour later found Mercedes stirring her late night ramen with a fork; the diva sniffled and held in the tears that threatened to fall. Didn't he understand that he practically just sent her back to square one? That a big part of her heart was hoping, hell, _praying_ that he still cared and possibly wanted to get back together?

A knock on her door had her flinching and she hoped it wasn't who she thought it was.

"Mercedes?" _Damn._ "Can I come in?"

Not even daring to reply, Mercedes sat there and ate a bit of her ramen as Sam slowly opened the door, obviously cautious. After several seconds, he hesitantly sat on the bed near her and just stared at her. She had changed since their break up. She looked thinner and tired. Where was her spark?

"Can we talk?" No reply. "Okay, so I deserve you ignoring me. After talking with Finn I realized that what I did was wrong and that if you want to dance with another guy," he said with his voice filled with jealousy. Sighing, he stared down at his hands as he whispered, "Then it's not my place to stop you. I'm sorry."

"You just don't get it." He seemed startled when she said that, her eyes looking at him from under her bangs. "You don't understand what you did. I was finally feeling like myself again, finally able to smile without having to force it.

"When you broke up with me… I was heartbroken and to keep myself from feeling the pain I went and got a job and worked all the time, barely even able to go and hang with Kurt and Rachel. Whenever I wasn't working I was doing something around the house, _anything_ to get my mind off it. My brother even forced me to go with him to his hip-hop dance lessons and just when I'm seriously feeling better here you come, acting like my jealous boyfriend and ruining all the growth I had obtained. Don't you understand that you gave me false hope in thinking that you might still love me? Don't you understand that you almost broke me all over again, _especially_ when it seemed like you were blaming me for trying to get over you? Hell, I was even told by Kurt that apparently you stared anyone down that even dared to look at me at the beach the first day we got here. What do you expect me to think when you act this way?"

He was quiet as he took in what she said, staring at the ground thinking. Once she began to stir her ramen again he whispered, "I do still love you."

"Please don't, Sam. I can't take hearing you say this."

"Cedes, listen. Please?"

Closing her chocolate brown eyes, she took deep breaths, trying to calm herself down even as a tear slipped past her lashes. Placing her bowl of ramen on the table beside her, she started fiddling with her hands.

Seeing her apprehension, Sam watched her as he said, "I mean it when I said I still love you, 'cause I do, just as much as I did before I broke up with you. I know I said that I wanted to be alone for a while, to figure out who I am and all but right now… I just don't know what I want. Seeing you with that guy-"

"Wyatt."

"What?"

She glanced at him from under her lashes. "His name is Wyatt." She watched as Sam made a face as he stared at the carpet.

"Fine, seeing _Wyatt_ dancing with you really set me off and before I knew what I was doing, I was getting him away from you because he was touching what's mine."

"But I'm not yours, Sam! I would still be yours but _you_ decided you didn't want me anymore."

Silence filled the air and Mercedes felt like she couldn't breathe, tears rimmed her eyes and she couldn't stop staring down at her hands. The room suddenly felt like it was a hundred degrees and the feeling of not being able to breathe only made it worse. Before her nerves could get to her, she whispered "I can't do this," before bolting out of the room she shared with Rachel and Tina.

As soon as Mercedes felt like she could breathe, she was on the edge of the shore, her toes in the sand and tears streaming down her face. The breeze from the ocean made her shiver since she was only wearing a thin shirt and shorts. Sitting down on the sand, and curling into a ball, she couldn't think straight. _What is he saying? Why is he jealous? Why did I leave? Why, why, why?_

The sound of her sobs drowned out the sound of sudden footsteps and before Mercedes knew it, someone was standing above her, far enough away but close enough so she knew that they wanted to know what was wrong. "Mercedes?"

Sniffling, chocolate eyes looked upwards and she saw Daniel standing before her in swim trunks and a tank. She furiously wiped at her face, trying to cleanse it of her tears and whatever else before replying, "W-Wyatt … what are you doing here?"

A soft smile lit up his face. "You okay? Boy troubles?" The diva chuckled sadly as her eyes turned towards the waves that caressed the beach. "I'm guessing it's that boyfriend of yours, that one that stopped us from dancing, right?"

"He's not my boyfriend."

Wyatt let out a soft '_oh'_ as he sat beside her in the sand. It was quiet between the two, neither feeling the silence awkward as the sound of the ocean calmed Mercedes' nerves. "If…" he spoke softly, "If you need someone to talk to, I'm here."

The diva turned her head to look at him. Wyatt continued to stare at the ocean, as if knowing that if he was looking at her, she wouldn't feel up to talking to him. _He's probably the worst person to talk to considering he was the main subject of Sam and mine's fight_. Taking in a deep breath, Mercedes played it off, her eyes focused on the stars that were barely there against the lights of the boulevard and nearby Sky Wheel.

"I'll be fine, Wyatt. I just need some time to think."

Looking back at him, his smile brought out her own and she thanked him; watching as he took out his phone and sent someone a message. Butterflies filled her stomach and as she watched him walk away, thinking that maybe she had dreamed the entire encounter. _There's no way I seriously just saw Wyatt here. I had to of dreamt it. _Looking at the beach house, she wished she had brought her phone before falling back in the sand, staring at the stars.

"God… what do I do now?"

Back in her room, Sam was still sitting in the same spot, looking at where she had just been. What was he doing? He had told her he wanted out… right? Lying down across Rachel's bed, he ran his hands through his shorter hair and sighed deeply.

The sound of her phone vibrating on the nearby bed table made him curious and before he could stop himself he was looking at her phone and reading a text from a Wyatt. What he read had the jealousy from earlier coming back full force.

"_I just wanted to say that even though you were crying, you looked really beautiful under the stars. – Wyatt"_

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><p>I know I said soon but I wanted to make sure this was perfect.<p>

This is actually a chapter I wrote right after writing chapter one. This technically is what brought on the idea to the story… although the ending part was a surprise even to me. But I know what I'm doing (and you probably hate me for it right now) but everything works out in the end like it's supposed to. Nothing's ever easy, right?

You Had Me At Hello is kind of towards both Sam and Wyatt because Mercedes doesn't really know what she should do right now.

_You Had Me At Hello_ – A Day To Remember

Reviews are appreciated!

**Panicked Karma**


	6. Chapter Five: Bleed

**AN: **Okay guys so this chapter is going to be a major step forward, even more major than the step forward in the last chapter. We are going to get to see a lot of Sam's views on things, something I know a lot of you are looking forward to especially since most of you kind of hate him right now lol.

Anyways, I hope you like it!

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><p><strong>Chapter Five: <strong>_Bleed_

Three hours.

It had been three hours since he had talked to Mercedes and had seen the text from Wyatt. Not even daring to delete it in fear of the fury that would come his way, he had put the phone back in its place on the night stand. The room he shared with Finn, Puck, and Mike having been his sanctuary as thoughts ran through his head.

Looking at the clock, four twenty eight a.m. blinked at him in bright red and sleep had yet to come his way.

Turning on his back, he stared at the ceiling, his right arm coming up to rest behind his head. Sam flicked the covers off of his body, the temperature too hot for comfort.

_What am I doing?_ He thought as he chewed on his bottom lip. Several seconds passed and with a sigh he got up from his bed and headed outside the room and towards balcony that led to the beach. Mercedes had gone to bed hours ago, leaving the beach and the solace it emitted to him and him alone.

Opening the door to the balcony, he felt the coolness of the glass and it calmed him slightly before he quickly closed it behind him. He was only in a shirt and sweats but he didn't care. Sleep evaded him and he understood why. With everything that had been going on and all the things that seemed to implant themselves in his conscious, it kept him from reaching slumber.

Who was he to tell Mercedes what to do? Who was he to be mad at Mercedes for trying to get over him? Was he allowed to be jealous that someone else showed an interest in her? The last question continued to play over and over inside his head as he sat on the bench beside the glass French doors.

Looking up at the sky, Sam rested his head against the wood of the house, a stern look on his face.

If someone took Mercedes away – he didn't even want to think that way. In his mind, he couldn't see her with anyone else other than him, the idea bringing pain to his heart. He still loved her, that was a fact but he knew he had royally screwed up.

Ever since he had reach McKinley, he had been "the boyfriend"; Quinn, Santana, and Mercedes having been beside him practically the entire year. He was young and with going from relationship to relationship, he had felt like he hadn't figured himself out yet.

He liked comic books, could speak a fictional language or two, and thought the world of his parents and the strength that they had… but there had always been a part of him that gnawed at him. Whenever Mercedes said his name, the sound literally music to his ears, he would ask himself, "_Sam who?"_

After having talked to his parents, they said that this was something everyone went through at one point or another and that he should take some time to himself. Sadly, and Sam understood this now, he had taken it the wrong way. He felt even more lost now than he had before he took Mercedes out of the equation.

Telling the truth to himself always made him feel like a dick but he knew it was something he couldn't hide from. The moment he had told Mercedes they were over, a pang of guilt ran through him and watching her walk away gave him chills. He had called her name, hoping she would come back but she never turned around, instead deciding to get in her car and leave. He understood that she was hurt and it killed him that he had been the one to do it but what choice did he have then? Her walking away still haunted his dreams.

The first week without her was horrible. The stress of work and the fight to stay in a stable environment plus his oncoming depression had set him off numerous times and each time he would go out for a run. One mile, two miles; he would run for hours and would be completely exhausted whenever he made it back to the apartment his family had been able to rent.

Realizing that he probably couldn't contact her without possibly doing more damage came the second week and it felt even worse than the first. He missed her voice, her laugh, the way she would smile at him whenever he did something dorky, her gorgeous appearance, and her overall radiance that always seemed to blind him. All of that was gone and he had never felt lonelier. Not even the awesomeness of Avatar could get him out of his funk and that was when his parents realized something was really wrong.

After having come home from working at the pizza place, his father sat down with him in his room and asked what was wrong. It didn't take long before Sam broke and told his father everything; from how happy he had been with Mercedes, to the talk they had had earlier about him needing to find himself, to how he felt now after having broken it off with literally the most wonderfully amazing girl in the world. His dad had taken everything in stride and thought for a few moments before saying something that was forever etched into his mind:

"_When I was just entering college, I didn't know who I was either. No matter what I did, I just felt lost. It wasn't till I met your mother that I found myself and was able to truly be who I am. Sure it took two years, but boy, was she worth it."_

He had literally ruined the best thing that had happened to him and three weeks into the break up, he knew that letting Mercedes go meant he was even further away from figuring himself out. _Damn, I sound like a broken record. "Find myself" this, and "find myself that". God, Mercedes was right._

All he had done, when it came to finding out who Sam Evans was, was dance with different girls in a vain attempt to stop the urge to grab Mercedes and dance with her.

Pinching the bridge of his nose, he scowled and a groan left his throat. He was the biggest douchebag of all time.

He had known he hurt her in the beginning but he had no idea he had _broken_ her. Mercedes Jones was a fighter that stood up for what she believed in but at the same time, would help you out with whatever you needed. She was the type of person that if you hurt her, she would bounce back quickly enough and that's what Sam had hoped for. He was hurt and felt like kicking himself in the nuts but if being away from him made her better, even if it took just a little while, then he wouldn't dare go back to her. She was better off without him; at least, that's what he had thought until their discussion today.

When he had first seen her again in the living room three days ago, he noticed how she looked thinner with bags under her eyes but he suspected that maybe she was just really tired from the trip, and that her slimming figure meant she had just gone on a diet. Never would he have suspected that he was the cause, especially after seeing her flirt with the guys during the volleyball game. Sam had stared the guys down, clearly jealous but Mercedes acted like the diva she was so he didn't question it. Even when they were stuck inside the simulator he didn't question it, and had hoped they could return to some sort of normalcy by letting her use him to keep calm.

It wasn't till he saw her sitting outside Wonder Works that he began to worry. She had probably tried to keep her tears a secret but he had seen them and it broke his heart. Not knowing what else to do, he wanted to make sure he could be her friend, even if the tears were caused by him. He _had_ to hear the words from her that he meant at least something to her.

To put it simply, seeing this Wyatt guy friendly with her had angered him because any possible reconciliation with her felt threatened. He wanted her back, even if it took months to repair the damage he had done. Seeing her in that outfit certainly proved it if the lust he felt for her was any indication. Immediately Wyatt was put on his enemies list but if Mercedes was friends with him, then he would be friendly. It wasn't until he saw them dancing at the Afterdeck that that was thrown out the window. Dancing with other girls really was a distraction because had he not danced with them, he probably would've tried serenading Mercedes and he knew she wasn't ready for that yet.

In his heart, Sam still felt like Mercedes was his and that he was still hers, even if she didn't know it any longer; that was why he had to get Wyatt away from her. Her reaction made him sick but the jealousy in him couldn't be contained and once again, he had _fucked up._

Arguing with her had set him back multiple steps and her declaration of pain shook him to his core. Hearing her say how the break up disturbed her and how she tried to deal with it was unfathomable because the Mercedes Jones he knew, the strong, independent woman that took no prisoners, didn't seem to be around any longer. It sent him into confusion and he was unable to think properly.

The hour he spent trying to gather his thoughts was difficult but he had to talk to her or else he felt like he wouldn't be able to move forward. Finn had set him straight when it came to his jealousy and helped him realize that doing things blindly like he had done was wrong, even if he would've figured it out eventually. Sam may think of Mercedes as his, but she obviously didn't think that way and trying to move on was only normal. It wasn't his place to stop her and he knew that… now. It took Mercedes telling him so to be able to understand it but he didn't know if it was worth it.

Sam felt even worse when she explained all that she did in attempts to feel better and then hit rock bottom when she said she was back to square one. _Can't I do anything right?_

Taking in a deep breath, Sam remembered her words: "_Don't you understand that you gave me false hope in thinking that you might still love me?"_ He loved her all right, even more now than before if possible. _Absence makes the heart grow fonder._ Telling her he loved her seemed like a good idea but once again, it back fired.

He wanted her back, desperately, but at the same time he couldn't figure out if it would be better for her to not be with him. That's why he told her he didn't know what he wanted. He wanted to be with her but he also wanted her to be at her best and if that meant being away from him, then so be it. Telling her all this would only continue to hurt her so he kept that part quiet. Thinking back now, it was a bad idea because she had become so uncomfortable, she couldn't continue being in the same room with him. Sam had practically thrown her to Wyatt, his text clear proof.

He was jealous but this time, he wouldn't go about this blindly.

Mercedes was in his best interest and if being with someone else made her happy and set her on the path God had destined for her, then so be it. He would try and move on, but if he truly was meant for her like he hoped, then he wouldn't back down.

It was the hardest decision he had ever made in his life, the decision to break up with her coming in close second, but he had to do this.

* * *

><p>"I want you to go on a date with Wyatt."<p>

Blinking, Mercedes furrowed her brow before she whispered, "What?" She saw the blond sigh through his nose, telling her this obviously making him uncomfortable, but what he was saying confused her. She had woken up ten minutes ago to find her roommates getting ready for breakfast. Trying to follow suit, she brushed her teeth and hair but before she could change clothes, Sam knocked on the door and sent her in defense mode but this was unexpected. Was he serious?

"I want you…" he swallowed, trying to get rid of the scratchiness in his throat. "… To go on a date with Wyatt."

"Why?"

_Uh…Because I want to see if being away from me is really what you need? _Sam thought. He couldn't tell her that, could he? She seemed to notice how unprepared he was for that question because she looked away, backing up so she could rest against the door frame of her room. _Crap, what do I tell her… WHAT DO I TELL HER? _

"Sam, what are you getting at?"

"Uhm," gulping and scratching the back of his head, Sam cursed. He really should've thought about this more but it annoyed him enough to even think about her going on a date with Wyatt, let alone giving her a reason why. "You two seemed to flirt… and… I don't know. He seems to like you so I figured maybe you two should go on a date." _That works right?_

The look in her eyes sent him in a panic. She thought he was rejecting her for good. Her eyes wouldn't focus on him and the chocolate color of her eyes shimmered in unshed tears. Before he knew what he was doing, her face was in his hands and his face was close to hers. She was clearly surprised by the action but the smell of her tooth paste distracted him. The truth spilled out of his mouth before he could stop it and after he said it, Sam knew he had to work on his impulsiveness later. "I want to see if being with someone else is better for you than being with me."

_Wait… what?_ Chewing on her bottom lip as she stared into his green eyes, and she saw something she hadn't seen in months and after thoroughly choosing her words carefully she whispered, "Does this mean… you want me back?" He nodded slowly, his eyes hypnotizing her. "But you also want to see if being with someone else is better for me?" He nodded again and a wave of warmth went through her.

Mercedes didn't know if she should be happy or mad. She was slowly moving towards one emotion before being pulled by the other. She was ecstatic that he wanted her back, because in truth she thought he was the one but at the same time, his wanting her to date someone else to make sure it was true angered her. "How do I even know you're telling the truth? That you're not just using that as an excuse to push me towards someone else."

Before Sam could answer, his mouth open in response, someone beat him to it. "I don't think he's doing this for you like he says he is."

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><p>DUH DUH DUN ! The dreaded cliffy that has really been overdue. I wrote this immediately after I came home from chilling with friends and it literally wrote itself. During Sam's entire thing I kind of think it jumped around too much and if it does, tell me.<p>

Sam asking her to date someone else = what? You know how Sam is, he's not the smartest tool in the tool box but he truly does think she should do this. He really does want what's best for her, even if he's doing it in the wrong way… again.

_Bleed_ by Hot Chelle Rae

Reviews are appreciated (:

**Panicked Karma**


	7. Chapter Six: That Should Be Me

**AN: **Also read the one on the bottom. Please ignore any mistakes!

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><p><strong>Chapter Six: <strong>_That Should Be Me_

"I don't think he's doing this for you like he says he is."

Ms. K slowly walked towards them from the end of the hallway, her arms crossed over her chest and an eyebrow arched as she watched Sam's surprised expression. When she was a foot away from them, he stuttered out, "W-Why do you say that?"

Ms. K's baby blue eyes turned to Mercedes, a soft smile on her lips. "Is it okay if I talk to him alone, Mercedes?" She saw the thoughts going through the girl's head before she nodded slowly, giving Sam a hesitant look before closing the bedroom door. Turning back to him, Ms. K sighed slightly before motioning for him to follow her out towards the backyard balcony.

She could feel the uncertainty radiating off of Sam in waves. He was nervous, to say the least, unsure of what she could possibly say.

Once they were outside, having been able to bypass the entire group since they were fighting over food in the dining room on the other side of the house, she walked to the railing of the balcony and rested her arms against the wood. He mimicked her and she could feel his eyes on her. Laughing slightly on the inside, Ms. K whispered, "You have absolutely no idea what you're doing do you?"

Even though she was watching the ocean, she could tell he was taken aback, his form visibly jumping for a split second before relaxing, his head down as if he was staring at his shoes.

"I just…"

"Do you love her?"

She could tell he seemed to become confident in that second as he stared at her and said without a doubt, "Yes."

Smiling gently, Ms. K turned towards him and saw the truth in his eyes. _So he really just doesn't know what he's doing. _"You're going about this the wrong way, you know. I know I don't know all about the situation but I can tell that you two apparently dated before and broke up. Obviously it being your choice but now you miss her and want her back. I'm guessing you did the whole '80/20' thing?" The confused look on his face made her laugh. "It's where someone is in a relationship, the girl or guy they're with being the 80, and then sees someone hot and wants them, that other person being the 20. In the end, you always miss the 80 and want to go back because the 20 wasn't enough for you but you only realize that after you lost the 80."

The blonde woman laughed sadly before muttering, "I should know. How do you think I became a Ms. K? I used to be married to a wonderful man but… I saw someone else and had a chance to cheat and I took it. In the end I was stuck with the 20, and to this day I miss my 80."

Looking over at Sam, Ms. K saw sympathy in his green eyes and she turned her head to look at the ocean again.

He seemed to take this as his cue to speak, his tone melancholy. "That wasn't really what happened... but you're right… I have no idea what I'm doing but at the same time, I want her to try being with someone else so I know that I made the right decision when breaking up with her - even if I ended up wanting her back as soon as the words left my mouth."

"You can't think like that. If she's still in this much pain however many months after, then obviously someone else might not be good for her."

He made a sound in his throat and she watched him before continuing, "When you're meant to be with someone and something ends up breaking you two apart, it'll be the worse pain you've ever felt in your life. You'll be in so much pain you'll become a different person but at the same time you know that if you see your other half with someone else, all you want is for them to be happy. It may hurt like hell and may make you miserable but the thought of them happier than ever, even if it's not with you, can keep you going.

"Like I said, I don't know the entire situation but I can tell that Mercedes is different. When she first got here she looked defeated, she seemed better after the trip to the beach, but just looked destroyed when ya'll came back from Broadway." Ms. K watched him as he stared out towards the ocean, guilt reflecting in his eyes. "You may want to do what's best for her but in the end, you wanting her to date other people is your selfish desire to see that you didn't make a mistake. To confirm to yourself you weren't wrong and that you could move on."

"But I don't want to move on!"

Ms. K was taken aback by his outburst, her baby blues watching him curiously before saying firmly, "Then go in there and get her back. Waiting is only going to worsen the situation."

* * *

><p><em>Can I really just go in there and get her back? There are so many things that we need to talk about.<em>

Sam stood there, chewing on his bottom lip as he stared at the ocean. Thoughts kept running through his head and he had apparently been standing there too long because he was suddenly being pushed towards the sliding glass doors that led inside. Looking back at Ms. K, he saw her smirking face before he smiled. "Thanks Ms. K."

Apprehensively, his hand touched the door handle and he glided it to the right, opening it.

He didn't know if this would go over well but from the look of hope he had seen in Mercedes eyes when she found out he still wanted to be with her, he knew he might have a chance. _Let's just hope I made it in time._

Walking back towards her room, he knocked and received no answer. Frowning, he made his way towards the dining room where most of the group was located and smiled at the image that created him. Puck and Finn were fighting over the last pancake and Puck had the tall teenager in a head lock while trying to reach for the fork in Finn's hand, the pancake slowly falling off the utensil.

As soon as Sam was noticed, everyone became quiet and Puck and Finn stopped their fighting, everyone look at him with an expression Sam couldn't quite place; curiosity with a tinge of distrust? The blond swallowed nervously before speaking, his voice cracking in the process; "Have any of you seen Mercedes?"

"You gonna break her heart again?" Santana asked sarcastically.

For a split second he felt like he had been punched in the stomach and he began to chew on the inside of his cheek, his green eyes looking towards the floor. Taking in a deep, shaky breath to calm his nerves, Sam prayed for strength before looking up at them. "I don't know what the guys told you about last night, but I want to make things right. I just – I really need to talk to her. Have you seen her?"

A couple people shook their heads but Quinn spoke up, mild antagonism written all over her face; "Wyatt came by and took her to breakfast."

For the second time in the past five minutes Sam felt like someone had punched him, except this time in the heart.

* * *

><p>Smiling shyly, Mercedes smoothed out the ruffles of her navy blue camisole, a short sleeved jean jacket around her shoulders and a pair of mid-thigh length shorts on her hips. Her gold sandals glowed in the bit of sun that caught them as she sat in Wyatt's red jeep. He had the cover on it and Mercedes inwardly thanked him because she did not want her lightly curled hair to become a bee hive.<p>

Small talk drifted them between them before Mercedes thoughts ran away to what had happened earlier with Sam.

She had been halfway ready for the day when he had come knocking on her door, looking undeniably sexy in his jeans and a white, v-neck shirt. The diva admitted to herself that his idea of "dating other people" had encouraged her to join Wyatt for breakfast but that didn't mean she wasn't going to give Sam a firm talking to about how she still loved him and how idiotic he was for even questioning them. Sure they had broken up but obviously he had regretted it since he said he wanted her back, right?

_Where does he get off thinking he's not enough?_ She snorted lightly and let her eyes wander towards Wyatt.

He was looking rather delicious too and his smile alone had sealed the deal in her joining him for breakfast.

"It's probably been two weeks since I saw you last."

The diva smiled softly before returning her attention to the road, "Yeah; I would've gone last week but I was busy with Kurt trying to figure out everything we'd need for this trip."

"Well, we certainly missed you last week. Graham choreographed to Party Rock Anthem."

A loud groan erupted from Mercedes' mouth. "I can_not_ believe I missed that!"

"Well," Wyatt began as he parked the car in front of a Denny's. "I can always teach it to you. Graham really outdid himself; it's epic."

Smiling, Mercedes unbuckled her seat and opened the door. When he didn't help her out of the car, a part of her whispered that Sam would've been out of the car and running to open her door had she been with him. The diva shook her head slightly and made her way inside with Wyatt.

For her, breakfast was slightly awkward because almost every little thing he did – a smile, what he ordered, the way his fingers would fidget as if he wanted to hold her hand from across the table – all of it reminded her of Sam. The fact she kept wishing she were with the blond made her frown an before she could wipe it off her face, Wyatt took her hand that wasn't holding her fork in his and squeezed.

"You okay? You seem distracted."

The look of concern made the diva feel guilty; her chocolate colored eyes looking down at her half eaten breakfast and her brain unconsciously recognized the sound of rain. "I can't stop thinking about someone."

She held her breath, half expecting him to flinch away from her touch and get angry while the other didn't have a clue as to what could happen. A squeeze of her hand had her looking up at him in shock, the knowing smile on his lips making her mouth fall open slightly.

"It's obvious he wants you back, you know. I could tell from the moment he made me stop dancing with you."

Mercedes cheeks felt hot as she remembered last night and she pursed her lips lightly. A part of her was glad she had told Wyatt bits and pieces of what happened between her and Sam. From what he knew, Sam and her had dated for a while, broken up, and were now at a standstill. _What do we even call ourselves now?_

"How about we finished our breakfast and I'll take you back to where you're staying."

"I'm sorry I wasn't a very good conversationalist," Mercedes whispered with a sad smile; Wyatt squeezing her hand one last time before letting go and eating the rest of his breakfast.

Fifteen minutes later, Mercedes was exiting Wyatt's jeep, a wave and smile her goodbye. Running towards the house to keep her hair from getting to wet, she sighed once she was underneath the porch roof.

Anxiety hit her like a ton of bricks and butterflies filled her stomach as rang the doorbell. Quinn quickly opened the door for her and smiled at her appearance.

The diva looked like she couldn't get under the roof of the porch fast enough. Her clothes showed wear the rain drops hit them and her hair slightly curled. She was lucky she wasn't soaked considering how hard the rain was beginning to poor down.

Walking inside, Mercedes took in a shaky breath and turned around to face Quinn, who quickly answered what she had wanted to ask. "Sam's been sitting on the beach ever since he found out you left to go to breakfast with Wyatt."

"But it's raining!" The blonde nodded.

The two shared a look before Quinn hugged her, grabbing an umbrella from a nearby hook as she retreated. "I think you'll need this."

Smiling her thanks, Mercedes took the white umbrella from her friend and began going towards the back of the house. Before she even took a couple steps, she turned around, "What are the other's saying? ... About Sam and me, I mean."

"We're all a little surprised," Quinn said as she shrugged. "You guys hid it very well. Thinking back, I was personally surprised by how Sam was able to stop himself from being affectionate. You know how he is; always wanting to hold you close and show you how much you mean to him. I think after we all thought about it, we kind of were surprised we didn't realize how perfect you guys were sooner."

"Well you aren't the only ones. Even he has a hard time realizing it."

Quinn made a sound in her throat and moved towards the diva, taking her arm gently as they walked towards the back of the house. "We all do want to know what happened though but we promised to not go after you guys or anything. Whenever you're ready to talk, we're here."

Once they reached the sliding glass doors, nervousness set in and Mercedes hugged Queen one last time before sliding open the door, immediately popping open the umbrella. She made sure to walk down the wooden steps towards the beach slowly, not wanting to fall on her bum and ruining what could be an important moment in her life. She could still feel Quinn's eyes on her even after the door slid closed. When she was halfway towards his soaking wet body, she thought to herself she wouldn't be surprised if the entire group came to watch them talk, even if they couldn't hear.

Standing a couple feet away from him, she knew that he had no idea she was there. The rain was steady but was no longer pouring. His entire body was soaked, his blond locks sticking to the back of his neck and ears, looking longer now than when dry. The white shirt he was wearing was see through and clung to him like a second skin a part of her noticed how wonderfully sculpted his back was. He was no doubt freezing, even if it was the middle of July and she hoped they wouldn't get a cold from this.

Mercedes didn't know how long she stood there but it couldn't have been long; she just couldn't stop staring at him.

_You can do this, Mercedes._

Hesitantly, she took a step forward, no sound coming from her footfalls against the sand. Each step felt like an entire hour went by before she was right behind him, sitting down quickly and quietly. From behind him, her legs made a v and she squeezed his sides with her thighs as she leaned against his wet back, her umbrella still in hand and keeping the rain from reaching them. Her cheek felt cold against his back but she felt him take a sharp intake of breath as he most likely felt her warmth against him. Had she not continued to hold the umbrella, she would've wrapped her arms around his middle and before she could stop herself, the umbrella dropped from her hand and she did just that. At the moment, she didn't care that she was ruining her hair, _he was more important._

Her thoughts went to what the group was probably seeing. He had his legs bent and was leaning his arms against his knees, his chin resting on his arms while she held him from behind. Her arms around his waist and her legs surrounding him lightly bent at the knee.

"M-Mercedes," he breathed and her chest felt warm against him.

"How'd you know it was me?"

"I know your touch… I'd be able to tell it was you even if I was blindfolded and not able to see your legs."

She giggled lightly and closed her eyes as she took in the feel of him breathing.

Even if this talk ended whatever was between them, she would cherish this moment forever.

* * *

><p>I hope you guys got the Tyler Perry "Why'd I Get Married" bit.<p>

Sorry it took so long !

I lost my job the same day the whole Chord debacle happened and have been looking for another one. The Chord thing never would've stopped me but I would like to thank QTFics for the wonderful messages. It really gave me inspiration for this chapter and the next one I'm probably going to put up soon.

_That Should Be Me _by Justin Bieber

**Panicked Karma**


	8. Chapter Seven: Shattered

**Chapter Seven: **_Shattered_

"What do you think they're saying?" Finn asked as he watched the duo from his place behind Rachel.

Puck snorted, "What else? Their relationship, duh!"

"They're not in a relationship anymore, Puckerman. They're probably talking over their break up," replied Santana.

"Aren't they cold?" Brittany asked as she rested her chin on Santana's shoulder.

Everyone made a sound in their throat as they watched Sam and Mercedes talk from behind the sliding glass doors. They were all huddled around the door, watching curiously.

"I bet they'll get back together."

Slapping Artie's shoulder, Puck smirked, "I'll take that bet."

They began to see how much they all thought the relationship would cost before Quinn spoke up, her tone calm, "We don't even know what they've both been through guys. All we know is that they are both hurting."

"Who said Sam was hurting?" Santana said spitefully. "He broke up with her, didn't he? From what Puck and Lauren said, he was a douche bag on the way back from the Afterdeck."

Shaking his head gently, Blaine continued to watch the diva and the blond. "He was probably doing that in jealousy. He wouldn't have asked to see Mercedes this morning if he didn't regret his decision."

"I hope she doesn't take him back," scoffed Santana. "He doesn't deserve it considering all the pain Mercedes has been through. I mean, look at her. She's skinnier, and ever since graduation has looked like crap. He obviously broke her heart and stomped on it before burning up the pieces with a flame thrower."

The only one who didn't enter the conversation was Kurt.

He had known from graduation that something was up with his best friend. She had immediately been different but he figured she would've come to him eventually. A part of him felt betrayed for her not having trusted in him but she probably had her reasons. Thinking back on it, he remembered how flirty they seemed at the Lima Bean on the last day of junior year.

Sighing through his nose, Kurt felt Blaine touch his elbow before he smile at his boyfriend.

"We should stop watching them guys."

From her place beside him, Santana quirked her eyebrow before sighing deeply. "I guess you're right. I just know that if he hurts her again-"

"When did you start to care about her?"

"I always have, Mr. Funny Nipples." Santana smirked at Finn's glare before saying with a calmer expression, "I just never showed it." From behind her, she felt Brittany hug her middle and she smiled before turning around, both of them going towards the living room.

The rest began to follow them before they left Sam and Mercedes alone with no one other than the clouds watching.

* * *

><p>There was a peaceful silence between them, one that hadn't been there since before the break up.<p>

Normally it would've been extremely awkward, both unable to really say anything because the feelings between them were unclear but as they sat in the rain – Mercedes still holding him to her and Sam holding onto one of her hands like it was his life line – both knew that in this moment, they cared for each other.

A part of Mercedes was cursing herself for letting the umbrella go because now her hair would be ruined but she figured she would just fix it later. It was problem extremely curly and frizzy, most likely going to how it was naturally – resembling a seventies afro-but she would just get Kurt to use her detangler and brush out all the knots. It would hurt like hell but Mercedes didn't feel comfortable without her weave. Her shirt had said 'No weave!' when they performed _Born This _Way because she despised her hair naturally and felt uncomfortable without her weave. There wasn't a day that went by where she wouldn't do everything in her power to make sure her hair didn't mess up but for some reason, she was letting it get wet in the rain as she held Sam.

The rain has slowed to a sprinkling setting and the combining scents of the ocean and rain gave Mercedes a sense of calm. Her eyes were still closed as she continued to rest her cheek against her back. She could feel his heartbeat and it made her smile gently. Even with it raining, she felt _warm. _Between the two of them, even though they were soaked, there was enough body heat to keep them both warm and toasty.

Remembering why she was out there – having gotten too caught up in the moment that she forget they had even broken up-she took in a deep breath and opened her eyes. The sight of the wet dunes and his back made her shiver slightly and she hoped he didn't notice; she was way too comfortable to move now. Not even moving, the words left her mouth like she had rehearsed them and truthfully, she had. "I can't keep doing this back and forth, Sam. We have to discuss everything here and now because I won't be able to take any more of this."

She felt him nod before she heard him say, "I love you," like it was a whisper. As if it was a secret for her alone to know and hold close. The warmth that spread through her made her smile gently.

"I love you too but… where do we go from here? After everything that's been said and done, it's going to be hard."

Silence filled the air for a couple moments before he replied, "I want to be with you, Cedes, but…"

She leaned back, her eyes not leaving his form as she waited for him to finish his sentence. When it seemed like he wasn't going to, she muttered, "But what?" Watching him sigh and hang his head low, she tightened her grip around his waist, letting him know that she wanted to hear what he had to say.

"But if you choose Wyatt, I understand."

For a second she was taken aback before flashes of her breakfast with Wyatt flashed through her mind. _Oh… he thinks I want to move on… boy, if I wanted to move on, would I be here messing up my hair in this rain for you?_ Laughing inwardly at that, a soft smile lit up her face before she squeezed him a little bit harder with her thighs. She felt him squeeze her hand in response. "I don't want Wyatt."

"Then why did you go to breakfast with him?" He didn't sound like he was accusing her of anything, he simply wanted to know.

"I admit," she started shakily. "You saying to 'date other guys' did encourage me to do it but that boy's smile literally makes it hard to say no. Plus I was hungry and I figured Puck and Finn had probably eaten everything in the house by now – and it's only be a four days since we came here." _Who would've thought we'd be having this conversation so quickly? Just yesterday we were arguing. _"Denny's sounded like the only way I'd be able to eat something. Plus I wasn't really ready to face you again just yet."

"I'm sorry." When Mercedes made a sound in her throat, he continued, "I'm sorry for everything I put you through. Being the dick I was, hurting you like I did, trying to push you away while trying to keep you to myself – I'm sorry for all of it." She felt him tremble slightly. "I want to be with you but I broke up with you in my own confusion. I thought being by myself for a little while would've helped me figure out who I am because I have literally been the 'boyfriend' since I came to Lima. What I didn't know was that losing you only made it worse. I've missed you from the moment those damn words left my lips and I've been beating myself up this entire time. I don't expect you to take me back, but I want you to forgive me."

It was silent between them again as his words soaked in. He continued to hold her hand in a gentle but firm grip and she could feel him quivering. _Sam._ Biting her bottom lip, she watched him raise his head slightly.

"I can't say that this will be easy – because you really hurt me – but I do forgive you. I forgave you long ago but I still had trouble moving on. I-I want to be with you too, but I'm not ready to just jump right in. You get what I'm saying?

"You had really hurt me. My brother literally dragged me out of my bed one morning and forced me into my shower before he turned the cold water on. I almost killed him but after we talked – him saying that he found something he think could help me – I felt a little better. After that I started going to dance class and since then, I have danced my frustration, depression, and the feeling of hopelessness out to where Graham, our instructor, says I'm one of his best dancers and he wants me to perform with some other dancers at a gig he has at Table 50 in New York in a couple weeks. I start practice next week."

"Isn't that like a famous club?" Mercedes nodded. "It's only been a couple months but… I've missed so much," Sam whispered; the words painfully leaving his lips.

Looking down at the bit of sand she could see between them, the diva bit her lip. "I've probably missed just as much with you too. I've missed your family, but overall I have missed you, even if I didn't want to."

"I guess we have a lot to learn about each other. It's like déjà vu," the blond said as he squeezed her hand and brought it up to his lips to kiss tenderly.

The feel of his lips on her hand had her gasping silently before a tremor of fear ran through her. "I mean it when I said we have to take this slow. I'm not gonna lie Sam, but it's going to take me a while to believe that you aren't just going to leave again, cause you might change your mind and don't say that you won't." She had noticed how he tensed, ready to say something but was glad she had beaten him to it. He needed to understand her fears and the reasons why.

"You never know what might happen in a month, or two months from now, Sam." Taking in a deep breath, her brown eyes closing as if she were trying to gather all her strength, she let it out and whispered, "I still think you're the _one_ but that doesn't mean it will still happen. Something might tear us apart again and the thought scares the living shit out of me but I do want to try us again. I need you in my life, Samuel Evans. Why haven't you realized that yet?"

It was quiet; Mercedes kept watching Sam, trying to gage his reaction even if she could only see his back but they had always been good at reading each other without words.

He felt guilty and it most likely pained him to hear her say this but it was the truth. Denying the truth at a crucial moment like this would only hurt them more.

"So…" He whispered, breaking the silence after several moments. "We take this slow and I get to show you that I mean every word when I say: Mercedes Jones, I am in love with you and want to be with you for as long as humanly possible?"

Smiling, Mercedes felt a tear roll down her cheek. "Yeah, you up to it?"

She saw Sam nod before he twisted in her embrace and she felt herself go breathless. His green eyes shimmered with unshed tears, his gaze so powerful she couldn't look away and with each passing moment, she could hear her heart beating louder. He didn't lean forward, merely stared at her, his face serious as his eyes reflected how sorry he was and how he had meant every word he had said. Not knowing what she was doing, she let her forehead rest against his and they both let out a breath they had been holding.

"Sam."

"Cedes."

They stayed like that for a moment before he moved, trying to get more comfortable. She ended up sitting in his lap, her butt resting on his right thigh as her legs rested on top of his left, her toes burying in the wet sand. His arms encompassed her waist like she had done to him, their foreheads touching once more as they let the comfortable silence wash over them.

Her shoes were somewhere close by, having falling off when they changed position but she didn't care. Her hair and clothes were soaked, but she was grateful the raining had stopped, the clouds just hovering over them as dark as they had been only minutes prior. A part of her was thankful for her weight loss because she felt less guilty for sitting in his lap when normally she would've protested but she had learned to not say it aloud. No matter what she said he would tell her how beautifully perfect she was – not caring what she weighed – she would always be flawless in his eyes. Even after two months, she knew he would still say that. That's the kind of guy he was.

The feeling of his breath against her cheek calmed her to no end and she wished she didn't have to end this but she was in dire need of treating her hair and getting out of the wet clothes.

When he started to lean forward she furrowed her eyebrows before pushing him away gently, her hand on his chest. "We can't." Sam watched her and she could see clearly in his eyes that he had been trying to kiss her. "I don't mind some affection but I don't think I'm ready for a kiss just yet." He nodded. "Sam, we have to get up."

Groaning, the blond tightened his hold on her before letting go, allowing her to get up on her own.

Mercedes watched him get up, her gaze honing in on his sculpted chest that was easily seen through his white shirt. Shaking her head slightly to get the lustful memories out of her head, she felt him link their fingers as they made their way to the beach house.

"I'm kind of surprised no one was spying on us."

The diva laughed, "They probably were but got bored."

Looking up at him, they shared a smile. A long road was ahead but both of them knew the rest of the vacation would now be worth it.

* * *

><p>Closing the door to the room she shared with Tina and Rachel quietly, the diva tiptoed down the small hallway, hoping no one was in the room. As she passed by the restroom on her right, she slowly moved her head to look around the corner and inwardly groaned when she saw all the girls plus Kurt and Blaine sitting on the beds talking. It was almost as if they were waiting for her.<p>

It wasn't until she moved to fully come out from the hallway that someone noticed and before she could fight it she was sitting on her bed with all of them in a circle.

Rachel was the first one to speak, "So, what happened?"

Pursing her lips in a pout, Mercedes glared at all of them before sighing. "We talked."

"And?" Santana asked; her left eyebrow cocked as she leaned forward. "What did you guys talk about? You can't just say you didn't discuss your relationship while out there, in the rain no less – your hair looks tragic by the way – holding each other and just not discussing… _it_."

A part of Mercedes wanted to laugh but she kept it in.

She could Santana was somewhat interested because she cared for her, which endeared the diva to no end, but she wasn't really ready to discuss what had happened. It was still too early for everything to be set in stone, even if she knew Sam would put his all into this. That was one of the things she loved about him. Whenever he decided on something and was passionate about it, there was nothing that was going to stop him from reaching that goal. Quinn had once said that was one of the reasons she had finally decided to start dating him.

Noticing the look she received from practically everyone in the group, she rolled her eyes. "Yes, we talked but we decided to take it slow. Both of us aren't really ready to just _jump_ right in. Who knows, we might not even get back together."

"Didn't you guys date for over a year though?" Blaine asked from his place beside Kurt and Rachel.

_A year and two weeks._ "Yeah," she replied. Old feelings of heart ache sprang back at that but she tamped it down.

They were deciding to take it slow so there was the possibility everything could be fixed. _Right?_

* * *

><p>Normally Sam would've gone back to his room, most likely deciding to take a shower and cleanse himself from the rain water but he <em>smelled<em> like her. Somehow her perfume hadn't disappeared but instead infused itself inside his shirt and even though it was on his back, the scent faintly wafted to his nose and memories of them came flooding back.

It was the same exact scent he had dared to smell when she dragged him into Victoria Secret one time.

They had gone shopping, mostly so Mercedes could buy something for Stacy's birthday when Sam had been dragged inside the lingerie store. At first he was slightly embarrassed and scared – the mannequins looking way to life like for his tastes – but he had simply walked around the perfume part of the store as she bought a hoodie she had seen in the window.

All the bottles had looked to fancy or said it smelled like fruit so Sam was hesitant to sniff them but one had caught his eyes. It was called "Noir – Tease" and the name itself had made him interested. Mercedes teased him all the time even if she didn't know she was so it was only logical that she should wear it. It wasn't till he smelled it that images of last night and her moaning his name came back to him and a smirk became painted on his lips.

He hadn't known it then but Mercedes had seen him smell it and smirk. From then on that was the only perfume she ever wore and it never failed to get his blood flowing.

Smiling sadly at the memory, the blond passed through the kitchen and went over to the fridge.

Sam knew that getting her to trust in him would take time and he was willing to do whatever it took but if she ended up only pushing him away, was there really anything he could do to fix what he had done?

Once he saw that there was nothing in the fridge for him to drink, he made his way towards his room, passing by the Mercedes' room and hearing whispered voices. He would not be surprised if the girls were bombarding the diva with questions. He was used to people being nosey.

The shower would soon be his refuge where thoughts of him and Mercedes would continue to turn over in his mind, trying to figure out ways to remedy what he had done. No one was in his room and he was thankful because he did not want anyone asking him questions when he had so much to think over.

_I can only hope she's able to trust me again. If she can't, I don't know how I'll be able to move on…_

* * *

><p>Hope you liked it! Reviews are appreciated!<p>

_Shattered_ by Trading Yesterday

**Panicked Karma**


	9. Chapter Eight: Are You Lonesome Tonight

**Chapter Eight: **_Are You Lonesome Tonight_

She didn't know how long she lay in her bed after she woke up, simply staring at the clock as it read seven forty-two a.m.

Everyone would be getting up soon, wanting to seize the day and go to the beach to tan before the group went to club Karma tonight. When they told her about it, she had decided against going out that night. She had too much on her mind to party and simply wanted to relax and sit down with a good book or movie. Santana of course mentioned how she could do that any other night in her own house but a glare from the diva simply made the Latina roll her eyes.

She could spend some time to herself tonight, something she was looking forward to.

Hearing a yawn to her right, she turned her head and saw Tina sitting up and stretching. The Asian girl noticed she was awake and asked, "What time is it?"

"Seven fifty," Mercedes answered after looking back at the red numbers of the clock.

Tina nodded and stretched again before getting up and throwing a pillow at Rachel who jolted awake.

"What's wrong?" The brunette said groggily before rubbing her eyes, her pink pajamas looking quite childish with the cartoon bunnies that littered the fabric.

"It's time to get up," Tina answered as she went into the bathroom and started getting ready.

Seeing Rachel nod, Mercedes got up and went towards the bedroom door. "I'll get the others up," she said before she heard murmurs of agreement from the two as she left the room.

Bits of sunlight came in through the window at the end of the hallway and a part of her groaned at the brightness.

Shuffling down the walkway, the diva yawned before knocking on the other girl's dorm. She heard groans before Quinn said she'd make sure the other girls got up before Mercedes continued on to the guys' rooms.

Both of the doors were on either side of the hallway so all she had to do was stand in the middle of the hallway and knock on both. Comically she heard groans on either side of the door so she began to knock louder and louder in a crescendo before Kurt opened his door, glaring at her. She grinned in response as she continued to knock on Finn, Sam, Puck, and Mike's door, this time using both hands. The groaning only got louder before she opened the door, slamming it against the wall.

Mike jumped and sat up, his eyes widening when he saw Mercedes at the door. He knew what was about to go down.

"Either get up or you'll regret it, boys!"

Other than Mike, the only person that seemed to realize what a mistake it would be to defy her was Sam who sat up and rubbed his eyes with the heel of his hands while Puck continued to snore, Finn only bothering to put the pillow over his face and holding it there tightly.

_Obviously they want punishment. Good thing we got permission from Ms. K do to this when we first got here. _Smirking as she left the room to go down the hallway, Mercedes got Tina and Santana to help her get the outside hose through one of the girl's windows and into the hallway. Brittany was outside, waiting for the sign to turn on the faucet as Mercedes, Tina, and Santana entered the boy's room, Finn and Puck still sleeping and snoring as the other two were in the bathroom, already knowing what was going to go down and hiding.

"Okay guys," Mercedes said with a smirk, the nozzle of the garden hose in her hand. Mrs. K had one of the expensive ones that could control the water pressure and Kurt had promised Ms. K that if they ever had to do this, it'd have to be on the shower setting so it didn't do too much damage. They also could only aim at the beds – either way this was going to be entertaining.

"Either get up now, or you'll regret it!"

Finn groaned and turned over while Puck merely snored louder. Mercedes heard Sam and Mike snickering inside the bathroom as they awaited the punishment. In truth, the only people they kept this 'wakeup call' from were Finn and Puck _just _for this reason.

Turning to look at the grinning Santana, she winked and Santana told Tina to tell Brittany to turn on the water and within seconds the girls felt the water rush towards the nozzle but didn't spray out. All Mercedes had to do was pull the trigger.

"One…" they didn't move. "…two…" Puck snorted and turned over. "…three!"

Within a millisecond Mercedes pulled the trigger of the nozzle and water spurted out, hitting Finn and Puck with cold water. Both boys yelled; Finn fell out of his bed and Puck jolted awake and tried to use his pillow as protection.

Laughter erupted from Sam and Mike as the rest of the girls came into the room to watch Mercedes spray them a couple more times, making sure they were fully awake. Once it was deemed they wouldn't try to go back to sleep, the diva smirked and Brittany quickly went to turn off the water outside.

"What the hell, mama?" Puck screamed as he sat in his bed dripping wet.

The diva laughed, "I warned you guys."

Looking at Finn, Mercedes doubled over in laughter as she saw that he was clearly confused as to what just happened. He seemed even stupider when just woken up.

"What just happened?"

"They woke you up Finn," Sam said with a chuckle. "Ya'll didn't get up so they had to find a way to get you up."

"Won't Ms. K be pissed that you got the room wet?" asked Puck, slowly getting up and shaking, almost looking like a dog.

"Nope," Kurt answered as he entered the room. "I made sure to get permission from her just in case and obviously it was a good decision on my part." The male diva received a glare from his half-brother before he left the room with a chuckle.

After making sure the hose would be put back in its place, Mercedes left the room after saying they needed to get ready for breakfast and the beach.

As she made her way towards her room, she felt a hand on her shoulder and a shiver ran through her. She knew who it was before he even said anything. "I just wanted to say good morning," Sam said, his voice coming out in a deep rumble as she turned to look at him. "And that you look beautiful early in the morning."

Mercedes felt her face heat up at his genuine smile before he kissed her forehead and walked backwards, turning halfway to his room and entering to get ready.

Gulping, the diva slowly made her way back to her room as she repeated over in her mind: _That boy is going to be the death of me._

* * *

><p>"What are you going to do about sexy mama?"<p>

Looking over in Puck's direction, Sam's eyes squinting as he pushed his sun glasses further up his nose before throwing the nerf football towards the teen. "We're taking it slow. Can you quit calling her that, by the way?"

"Why?" Puck asked as he smirked, catching the football with ease. He waited until a wave washed passed them before throwing it back. "She's sexy and that's always been my nickname for her ever since we dated."

_I keep forgetting that they dated_. "Well can you at least not call her that around me? I don't like it." Letting another wave wash over him – the waves reaching his hip bones – Sam pouted when he heard Puck chuckle.

"Okay, dude, I get it. So you guys are going slow, huh?" The blond nodded. "Well I hope everything works out for you guys. You're good for each other."

Sam's eyebrow rose as he caught the football. He gripped it in his hands for a second, letting the water rush out of it before throwing it back. "How can you know? You guys just found out we even dated."

When Puck caught it, he walked towards Sam in the water. Even though Puck was wearing sunglasses, Sam could tell that the teen was giving him a 'are you serious' look.

It wasn't until Puck was right in from of the blond that he spoke, "I admit I was surprised to hear that you guys dated but after everyone thought about it, we realized you were perfect for each other. I dated Mercedes for a week but in that time, I knew she had a bit of a thing for nerds. Sure she got on me for my Mario obsession but that was only because I annoyed her about it.

"She needs and deserves a guy that will treat her like the queen she is and even though you broke her heart, I know you are the perfect man to do that; whereas you need someone that will accept you, geek and all. I remember once when you were dating Quinn you seemed very self-conscious about your body even though you tried to play it off. Mercedes is very accepting and prides herself in her body so I can only figure that she helped you with your thoughts of self-image, am I right?"

Sam mouth was open in shock at the mohawked teen as he finished his speech.

"I may act dumb, but I've always been good at reading people," Puck said with a smirk before bonking the blond in the head with the nerf football. "She's been staring at you the whole time you know."

His green eyes widened from underneath his aviators and he turned his head slowly in Mercedes' direction, just to look like he wasn't trying to watch her. Puck was right, she was watching him. She was staring at him from underneath her beach hat, chewing on her bottom lip in thought.

"Well I might as well say 'hi' right?" Smirking, Sam bumped fists with Puck before making his way out of the water.

He knew for a fact that Mercedes watched the beads of water and sweat roll down his chest and legs, and his chest puffed with pride. She never failed to marvel at his body as she so kindly put it many months ago; she said that every time she was 'lucky' enough to see him shirtless her chest would get tight and her body would get warm. He was glad that even after everything he was still able to have this effect on her, able to tell by the way she bit her bottom lip harder. _Damn she's sexy. Gotta take this slow, Sam, gotta take this slow!_

"Mind if I join you?"

Seeing the hesitance in her gaze, he put his hands in the pockets of his board shorts, waiting for her answer.

After pursing her lips, she muttered out, "Sure," before returning to the book she'd been trying to read for the past hour.

He slowly sat down beside her in the sand and sighed with relief when the big umbrella that was jutting out of the groud gave him shade. "Is that a good book?"

She looked at him curiously before he pointed towards the small book in her hand. Following his gaze comically, he saw her face flush ever so slightly before whispering, "Yeah. It's called the _Kitchen Boy_ and is about the last royal family in Russia during the Bolshevik revolution."

"You were always good at history," he thought out loud. Leaning back on his hands, Sam let his head fall back and relished in the breeze before saying, "You said you start dance practice soon, right?"

"Yep next week; we'll be dancing to a mix of _Till the World Ends _the remix, and Ke$ha's _Take It Off._"

He nodded, "That sounds like fun. Will I be able to see you dance?"

* * *

><p>Slightly stunned, Mercedes gaped at him before she closed the book. It was useless to try and read when he wanted to talk. "Um… we'll probably have a final dress rehearsal before we leave for New York and Graham let's friends and family come and watch so yeah… you can come if you want."<p>

"I'd be honored." The smile he sent her way made her chest feel warm and she returned the gesture shyly before turning her chocolate eyes towards the ocean.

"What has Stacy and Stevie been up to?"

She could tell he was slightly surprised she asked about his family and not him but he took it in stride, "They've been going to church camp for the past two weeks and love it. They miss you a lot."

The way he whispered the last sentence broke her heart.

When they broke up, she never even dared to see the rest of his family even though she was close to them too. It was a horrible thing for her to do but she didn't want to go by his parent's apartment and accidently run into him.

"I'm sorry; I never meant to ignore them." Remembering his siblings' sweet faces made tears sting her eyes but she held them back. "I miss them too."

"You can come by whenever we get back to Lima. My parent's missed you too and has been asking about you."

Making a sound in the back of her throat, Mercedes turned to look at Sam who was now lying on his back, his arms behind his head. Seeing his glistening chest and the way his board shorts hung low on his body brought back memories she wasn't ready to relive yet and she whipped her head to watch Finn and Rachel have a water fight. The diva promised herself to not look in his direction again because it would only end badly.

They had decided to take it slow so why did his closeness suddenly get to her? Was it because they were technically back together or was it all in her head? _Either way I'm doomed._

That night when everyone was getting ready, Mercedes stayed in her black Sophie's shorts and red McKinley High hoodie, thankful Ms. K kept it at a comfy seventy degrees in the beach house.

"You're not coming with us, Wheezy?"

Giving Santana a glare, the diva sighed and shook her head. "Nah, I'm not really in the mood to party." _I really should be used to her nick names by now._

"But Sam's going," Rachel said as she touched up her make up. "You guys might be able to dance together unlike last time."

_Knowing us, we'd only go back to old times and I'm not ready for that._ Mercedes shrugged it off, "Eh… sounds fun but I seriously just don't feel like going guys."

Getting up and going towards the door, she left her room where all the girls were getting ready and sauntered towards the kitchen. After a quick search for sustenance, she ended up with a glass of Dr. Pepper and Wise honey barbecue chips.

The first day they got there, Ms. K made a list of some of their favorite things and went shopping while in return she received twenty bucks from everyone as payment.

After getting comfortable on the couch, she set her glass on a cup holder that was on the short table in front of her before she grabbed the remote and began flipping through channels.

"You're not going?"

Mercedes looked up and her face felt hot.

Sam was standing before her in dark colored jeans and a blue v-neck shirt that clung to his body so well she could make out his six pack. A leather watch was on his right wrist, it most likely belonging to Puck while a pair of black Vans was on his feet. What really set her body ablaze was the way he styled his hair. He had it gelled to look slightly like a mini Mohawk that was curved towards the right side of his forehead.

He was undeniably _sexy_ and Mercedes was even gladder she decided to forgo the trip.

Shaking her head, she let her gaze wander back towards the TV. "I didn't really feel like getting all dressed up. A quiet night watching TV seemed like the better route."

Sam pursed his lips before he sat beside her on the couch, closer to the end so she didn't think he was trying anything. "Would you mind some company then? I promise I won't do anything. We can try and get to know each other again if you want. I just don't want you alone in the house since Ms. K is even going out tonight, except she's going to the Boathouse. You've seen how many deaths the news likes to report in this town."

"What's the Boathouse?"

"I don't know; she said it was some kind of bar that has summer concerts of local bands."

Humming in reply, Mercedes chewed on the corner of the bottom lip. He was being considerate and was only worried about her safety so who was she to turn him down? _It wouldn't do any harm to have someone just join me for a TV movie. _Thinking quietly, she let her eyes wander towards him before saying, "Fine but we are going to be on the strictly friends level during the entire night. I don't want you touching me, okay?"

He nodded with a smirk before getting up, claiming to want to get more comfortable since he was going to stay.

By the time he came back in sweats and a looser t-shit, the group was heading out and the grins they received made the diva groan in disgust. They obviously continued to forget that they said they were taking it slow and just let their minds wander into the gutter. Puck and Lauren even had the audacity to wink while Santana let out a 'wanky'.

"You think they'll ever grow up?"

Mercedes laughed, "Never."

And hour in, the diva was actually glad he stayed behind. The small talk was comforting and every now and then they would laugh at something they saw someone do on the TV.

Bringing up the TV guide as House Wives of Atlanta continued to play in the top corner of the screen, the diva let out a scream before pounding the button that would take her to a certain channel with her thumb.

Jumping slightly, the blond watched the diva flail like a fangirl for a moment before settling down and watching the screen as if it was heroine and she was shooting up. He continued to watch as she picked at the bowl of popcorn he had made every now and again, her eyes never leaving the screen.

"You okay?" He asked cautiously, his eyebrow cocked in curiosity.

Nodding her head vigorously, she never let her eyes stray from the television as she said, "Love and Basketball."

"Huh?"

"Love and Basketball! It's on!"

Following the invisible line her pointed finger created, his green eyes watched the screen for a couple seconds before he heard her reciting lines from the movie. "How many times have you watched this?"

She ignored him and only continued to recite lines as if they were lyrics. "I'll play you… For what?... You're heart."

"Mercedes?" No answer. "Do you seriously know every single line of this movie?"

Nodding slowly, she let her eyes wander from the screen for a few seconds to regard Sam with an embarrassed expression before looking back at the screen, this time refraining from reciting lines.

The blond chuckled before he grabbed the bowl of popcorn that sat in her lap as he watched the movie with her. It wasn't long before they both were enthralled into the movie which was over halfway in,

"That was really good," he declared enthusiastically as the credits rolled quickly, BET starting a show called _The Game_ once it was done. Looking over at Mercedes, he smiled gently.

The diva was fast asleep, having moved a large pillow beside him so she could lay her head on it as she lied down on the couch. Bits of her wavy hair rested against the side of her face while her long lashes ghosted over her cheeks. Her mouth was slightly open, her lips pursed faintly as she breathed deeply.

She was gorgeous.

Slowly – so he didn't wake her – he stood up and placed the empty bowl on the table in front of them. Bending down, he put his arms underneath her and lifted her gently, her arms snaking around his neck as she whispered his name in her sleep.

The walk to her room went by too fast for his taste even though he walked slowly so she didn't wake. He was lucky the girls left their door open and within seconds he was placing her on her bed tenderly, already missing the weight of her as she let her arms fall from his neck to hug a nearby pillow to her.

A soft smile was on his lips as he kissed her forehead, trying to pour his love for her in it before walking towards the door and turning off the light. "Good night, Mercedes. I love you."

* * *

><p><strong>AN:<strong> Can I just say I _love_ Love&Basketball! I love The Game too but the newer seasos is definitely not my favorite. It's nowhere near as funny.

_Are You Lonesome Tonight_ by Elvis Presley, sung by Damian McGinty on The Glee Project. (You MUST listen to his version)

I actually wrote a first chapter to a story I was thinking about and I don't know if I should post it now or later. Lemme know in a review if you think I should do it now or wait.

If you want to actually see what Sam's hair looked like when he was going out, this is it:

Stylebistro . com / lookbook / Zac+Efron / oEfKGzwwdmO / Hair

Reviews are appreciated!

**Panicked Karma**


	10. Author's Note

**Author's Note:**

Hey guys!

I know it's been a while but I've been busy and will be even more busy till the end of July. (I'm going to Warped Tour XD )

I promise I will update as soon as I can!

If ya'll want to leave a little message to this author's note, do it in a PM because reviewing will only mean you can't review when I switch out this AN for the actual chapter. I found that out the hard way with Bad To Please (which _everyone_ should read).

Oh yeah! I suggest ya'll read the new story I made. I hope you guys like it and it kind of helps with not having a new chapter here.

On a last note can I just say that some of ya'lls reviews really made me laugh! Plus, I will always write Samcedes fanfiction, even if Chord left. Samcedes is an always will be my OTP.

3

Panicked Karma


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